Socket fixture



L. R. M LELLAN Jan. 22, 1935.

I SOCKET FIXTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 9', 1931 Jan. 22; 1935.

| R. M LELLAN SOCKET FIXTURE Filed March 9, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 l I l l l l l l l I l l I 1 I l I ll Patented 22, 1935 UNI-TED 'ST'ATES' PATENT OFFICE Lewis Richard Q cy. M188.

ApplicationMarch 9, 1931, Serial No. 521.135

'1 Claims. (01. 241-3) My invention relates to electric distributing ,systems and more especially to wall socket fix- I tures for use in connecting one or more branch circuits with the main line conductors of an 6 electric circuit.

The object of my invention is to provide a long socket fixture of the class referred to which will be of simple, inexpensive and efficient construction and into which the terminal plug of a 10 branch circuit can be inserted at various points throughout the length thereof, or into which a -ject to provide an improved wall socket fixture of the type shown and described in my copending application Serial Number 488,366, filed October 13, -1930. I T

To these ends I havel provided, as in theapplication referred to, a wall socket fixture comprising along body member adapted to be attached to, or form part of, the wall of a room or the like; :This body member is formed witha longitudinal groove or recessjupon its outer side to receive within it a pair of fixed parallel metallic conductors, or bus-bars, which are supported, housed and shielded by said body, but which can be engaged at various points throughout their lengths with the contact prongs of an I ordinary terminal plug, such as is provided at the end of the cord of an electric lamp or the like, when said contact prongs are inserted the recessed portion of the body. I

In accordance with the present invention each bus-bar is individually surrounded and fixedly supported by non-conducting material such as fibre, hard rubber or the like by which said bars are insulated from each'other and from said body member, said non-conducting material occupying and closing the groove of said body member and being formed with accessible apertures opposite said bus-bars through which the prongs of a terminal plug may be passed into and out of engagement with said bus-bars at different points throughout the lengths of the latter.

In the preferred form of my invention the longitudinal groove of the body member is provided with 8. lining 0f insulating material having parallel grooves or channels within which able manner.

with some of the parts removed.

the bus-bars are disposed, and a face plate or cover of insulating material is provided for the groove of the body member, said faceplate or cover being fastened to the latter in any suit- This face plate or cover is pref- 5 erably formed at intervals throughout its length with pairs of short slots which register with the bus-bars and through which the prongs of a terminal plug may be passed to be separablyengaged with thelatter.

Thus, it is a feature of the presentinvention that the lining and face plate provide a pair of conduits of insulating material for the bus-bars which are thereby completely insulated from each other and from the body member, and are accessible only to the prongs of a terminal plug insertedin the apertures or small slots referred In some forms of my invention the bodymember may be quite long and extend across a wall horizontally for a considerable distance, or it may extend entirely across said ,wall, or across, more than one wall of a room. In either case the bus-bars may be, and preferably are, made up from a plurality of relatively short lengths orsections which are coupled together end to en'dto provide a relatively long continuous. conductor and a feature of the invention resides in the construction of a sectional bus-bar, such asv just described. Another feature of my invention consists in providing an angular fixture? of novel construction adapted to fit the angle or corner at the junction of two walls.

-- Still another feature of my invention resides in the construction of the ends of the bus-bars 'wherebythey are adapted to be connected with the line wires of a circuit.

Other features of my invention are hereinafter pointed out. 40

In the accompanying drawings:-

Flgure l is an elevation, partly in section, of the lower portions of two adjoining walls and the floor of a room provided with a base-board constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of the con- .struction illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevation of an ordinary terminal plug such as may be used'in connection wi my new wall socket fixture. Figure 4 illustrates the construction of the meeting end portions or the base-board sections at the corner of a room.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5 of Figure 2 Figure. 6 is a perspective view of the grooved corner block hereinafter described, showing also an end portion of one of the lining strips hereinafter described. V

Figure "I is an enlarged plan view of a portion of one of the bus-bars shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 8 is a section taken on either of the three lines 88 of Figure 7.

Figures 9 and 10 are enlarged plan and edge views, respectively, of one of the corner coupling members hereinafter described.

Figures 13 and 14 are plan and side views, respectively, of one of the bus-bar terminal members hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings I have embodied my invention in a base-board for" the room of a building and said base-board constitutes the long body member, above referred to, of my improved wall socket fixture. This body member, indicated generally at 1, may be made from woodor any other appropriate material. Upon its outer side, and near its top,

the base-board body member 1 is made through-.

out its length with a longitudinal groove 2, Figures 1 and 5, formed at its bottom with a pair of longitudinally disposedand parallel channels 3 separated by a partition.

Within the groove 2 and at the bottom thereof is provided a lining strip 4 of insulating material which extends from side to side of the groove 2 and which conform to the shape of the bottom wall thereof so that it, also, is provided upon its outermost side with a pair of longitudinally disposed and parallel channels separated by a partition. The lining strip 4 is made from insulating material such as fibre, a phenolic condensation product or the like which is waterproof, and' is molded to fit the shape of the bottom of the groove 2, said lining extending approximately from end to end of said groove.

Upon the lining strip 4 is seated a face plate or cover 5 of insulating material such as hard rubber, fibre, a phenolic condensation product or the like, and this face plate or cover is fastened in position within the groove 2 with its outer side flush with the surface of the baseboard,- by means of screws 6. throughout its length the face plate or cover is formed with pairs of short slots 7 adapted to permit the passage therethrough of the prongs 8, Figure 3, of an ordinary terminal plug 9.

Within each channel 3, between lining strip 4 and face plate 5 is arranged a bus-bar 10, Figure 1, which is of channel-iron form, or U-shape, in cross-section as shown in Figure 8 except that its opposite side marginal portions are turned inwardly to provide re-entrant resilient pronggripping. jaws 11 whose inner end portions are spaced apart a distance that .is somewhat less than the thickness-of the prongs 8, Figure 3. When the prongs 8 oi the terminal plug 9 are pushed into a pair of siots each prongis forced into position between the jaws 11 of one of the bus-bars 10. The jaws 11 are resilient so that when the prong 11 is fully in position between the same it is firmly gripped by said jaws so that the terminal plug 9 is held in position :gainst the front of the face plate 5 by the bus ars.

At one end thereof the groove 2 communicates At intervals nected with each of the bus-bars and it will therefore be clear that when the prongs 8 of the terminal plug 9 are in engagement with the bus-bars 10 thebranch circuit of the terminal plug is operatively connected with the main line wires. 14 through the bus-bars.

One side wall of the junction box 13 is formed with a rectangular notch 15 within which is mounted a block insulating material 16 whose outer side is formed with a pair of channels which register with the channels 3 of the baseboard. As shown in Figure 1, the lining strip 4 is extended across the outer side of the insulating block 16 so as to fit into the channels there of. Also the adjacent end portion of the face plate 5 extends to the inner end of the insulating block 16 as shown in Figure 2.

The junction box 13 is provided with a cover 1'7 removably fastened in position against the outer side of the base-board by means of screws 18. Except for the notch 15 and insulating block 16 the junction box 13 is, or may be, constructed as usual.

The opposite sides and inner face of block 16 are formed with transverse grooves 16:: into which the walls of notch 15 are slidably fitted.

At the corner of a room it is customary to make the base-board of two sections or strips 1a and -molded angular corner block 22 of insulating material. 2

Upon its, outer relatively perpendicular sides this corner block 22 is formed with parallel channels registering with the channels 3 of the base-board sections 10. and 117. As shown in Figures 2 and 6 the opposite end portions or legs of the corner block 22 are cut away or stepped upon the outer sides thereof, as at 24, so as to under-lie the adjacent ends of the molded insulating strips .4. In this way the'comer block 22 serves to close the joint between the abutted ends of the base-board sections 1a. and 1b throughout the width of the groove 2, and

- by constructing the parts so that the insulating lining 4 overlaps the ends or arms of said corner block, the joints between said ends and the sections 1a and 1b are closed by said insulating lining.

As shown in Figure 7 each bus-bar 10 may be made from several sections 10a, 10b and 10c, the sections 10a and 10b being mounted within one of the channels of the base-board section 1a, and the bus-bar section 100 being mounted within the corresponding channel of the base-board section 1b. The two sections 105 and 100 extend to the middle of the corner block 22 and have their proximate ends connected by an angular coupling member 25 such as that illustrated in Figures 11 and. 12.

This coupling member 25 is U-shaped in crosssection and one end thereof is fitted telescopically into the end of the bus-bar section 100 while the opposite end thereof is fitted telescopically into the end of the bus-bar section 1017. The intermediate portion of the coupling member 25 is made of .less width than the end portions as shown in Figure 11 thereby providing of shoulders 26, Figureflz.

After the arms of the coupling member 25 have been fitted telescopically into the ends of the bus-bar sections, the end portions of the latter are crushed inwardly as at 27 thereby to.

permanently fasten each section of the bus-bar to its arm of the coupling member. In addition solder may be applied to this joint to connect each bus-bar section with the coupling member.

The proximate ends of the bus-bar sections 10a and 1011 are connected by means of a straight coupling member 28 whose opposite end portions are fitted telescopically within the ends of the bus-bar sections 10a and lO'b, with the ends of said sections abutting opposed shoulders at the opposite sides of lugs 29 provided at the middle of coupling member 28. The coupling member 28 is U-shaped in cross-section as shown in Figure 8 and the opposite sides thereof are formed with notches 30 into which the end portions of the bus-bar sections 10a and 10bare crushed as shown -at 31, Figure 7, thereby to permanently connect the coupling member with the bus-bar sections. Solder may also be applied to this joint to strengthen the same and also improve the electrical connection between the parts.

The end of each bus-bar which projects into the junction box 13, Figure 1, may be provided witha terminal member 32 having a shank portion or body 33, Figures 13 and 14, that is U-shaped in cross-section and adapted to be fitted telescopically into the end of its bus-bar 10 as indicated in Figure 7. The outer part of the body 33 is made of less width than the inner' end portion thereof so as to provide a shoulder 3.4, and after inserting the body portion of the terminal member 32 within the bus-bar, the end portion of the latter is crushed down behind the shoulder 34 as at 35, Figure '1, thereby permanently fastening the same in position.

The outer portion of the terminal member 32 is formed as an apertured tang 36 which is wider than the body 33 thereby providing shoulders 37 which position the bus-bar and terminal member relatively while being assembled.- The connection, both electrical and mechanical, between the bus-bar 10 and terminal member 32 may be improved by means of solder applied to unite the two. v

The ends of the line wires 14 are passed through the apertures of the terminal members 32, Figure 1, and secured to said members by means of solder. N

What I claim is: k

1. A wall socket fixture comprising a baseboard bodymember formed upon its outer side with a longitudinal groove and also formed with anaperture at one end of said groove; a pair of long spaced-apart parallel prong-gripping bus-bars w'ithin'said groove and extending longitudinally thereof; non-conducting waterproof material fixed within said groove and at the front thereof, said material surrounding each of said bus-bars individually so as to fixedly support said bus-bars in spaced-apart relationship throughout their lengths and. also insulate said bars from each other and from said base-board body member, said non-conducting material being formed at its front with apertures opposite said bus-bars throughwhich. the prongs of a terminal plug may be passed into and out of at diflerent points throughout the length of the latter; a Junction box fixed'in position within the aperture of said base-board body member and into which proximate ends of said busbars extend, said junction box being made from metal and one side thereof being constituted in part by a block of insulating material formed upon one side thereof with grooves occupied by said bus-bars, and circuit line wires within said junction box connected with the said proximate ends of said bus-bars.

2. A wall socket fixture constructed in accordance with claim 1 wherein a side wall of said rjunction box is made with a notch disposed opposite the groove of said base-board body member, said notch having parallel oppositely disposed side walls, and wherein said block of insulating material occupies said notch and is provided at its opposite sides with grooves within which said oppositely disposed side walls of'said notch are slidably and separably fitted. 3. A wall socket fixture comprising a baseboard body member consisting of two relatively perpendicular base-board sections whose ends abut, said sections being formed upon-their outer sides with longitudinal registering grooves whose proximate end portions are recessed to provide an angular pocket;'an angular grooved corner block closely confined within said pocket and formed upon its outside with parallel grooves registering withthe grooves of said sections; a pair of long angular spaced-apart parallel prong-gripping bus-bars within the grooves of said corner block and occupying the grooves of said sections, and non-conducting material fixed within the grooves of said sections and surrounding each of said bus-bars individually so as to fixedly support said bars inspaced-apart relationship throughout the major portions of their lengths and so as to also insulate said bars from each other and from said sections, said non-conducting material being formed at, its.

U-shaped in cross section and has its end portion made of greater width than its inner portion and wherein the material of the end portion of .its bus .bar section is contracted behind said end portion of greater width therebyto positively lock said arm within its section.

5. Ina device of the character described a prong-gripping bus-bar; comprising a plurality of sections alined end to end and each made U-' shaped in cross-section, and a straight coupling member made Ufshaped in cross -section and having its opposite d portions telescopically fitted within the pro ate ends of two of said sections, each of said end portions being made wider adjacent its'extremity than near the middle of said member and the end portion of its bus-bar section being contracted behind said wider portion thereby to positively lock the two together.

6. In a device of the character described a prong-gripping bus-bar constructed in accordance 'with claim..5 wherein saidcoupling member is made "adjacent its middle with a pair prong-gripping bus-bar that is U-shaped in cross-section and a terminal member for said bus-bar having a body portion that is U-shaped in cross-section and telescopically fitted into one end of said bus-bar, the inner portion of said body being of greater width than the outer portion thereof and the end portion of said busbar being contracted behind said wider end portion thereby to positively lock said body portion within the end of said bus-bar, the said terminal member being formed with a shoulder to limit the movement of said body portion into the end 01. said bus-bar.

LEWIS RICHARD MAOLEILAN. 

